Chapter 41 – The Magician and the Barbarian (Part 1)

 

"N-no!" Only once! Please give me just one chance!

"What are you all doing?" Put those two in jail, quickly.

At first, the pleading investigator and the unconscious investigator were removed. Then they quickly began the compensation process. As soon as they signed an agreement that they would not discuss the matter any more, we were given a total of 6 million stones with an extra tip, but that was not all.

"These are all items in your name.

"So what?" What does that look like, Mr. Yandel?" The mage watched the barbarian rummage through his belongings and spoke with a strange expression in her eyes. "It seems that something is missing.

— ... Lack? The barbarian shuddered, then grinned, as if he understood what she meant. "Now that I look at it, it seems like something is missing.

"Oh, God. Could it be that something has been missed?

"Not an object... But about a million stones in cash disappeared.

Anyone could tell that I was lying. The eyes of the head of the branch glazed over from the rising pressure.

What kind of bastard crooks were they?

"What are you talking about?!" How can an explorer have such a large amount of money straight out of the maze?

"Then you mean we're lying?"

The head of the branch shuddered at the mage's cold voice.

"That's obvious...

"Your evidence?"

"Of course I don't...

"Oh my God. Are you calling us scammers without any evidence? Mr. Yandel, I think this branch manager should be included in the list of people who should be punished.

— That's right. To call an innocent barbarian and mage a bunch of liars is clearly poorly educated...

"That's enough," the District Head interjected and sighed. "We'll reimburse you for the money you've lost.

"Since it goes without saying, I won't thank you.

They may not have knives, but they were no different from a bunch of robbers, shameless to the point of ridiculousness. However, the head of the branch office could not do anything but watch the scene unfold.

"Here are one million stones.

"Wow, the Explorers Guild must be as rich as rumors say, since the money is just out of your pocket.

— ... I think I showed due respect for the magic tower. Do not cross the line further.

"Of course we won't.

"Then will you hand me the crystal ball now?" The head of the branch asked.

— No, I don't. I think I'd better hold him back until the punishment is done properly. Of course, I promise not to show it to anyone until then.

— ... You will have to keep this promise.

— Of course. Take it easy. We're going to hit the road now, so please take care of the crowd outside.

With that, the barbarian and the mage left, and a heavy silence reigned in the hall, as if a series of storms had just passed through it. As a result, the Guild lost another 1 million stones and couldn't even take the crystal ball right away. In addition, it was necessary to deal with the crowd that had gathered in front of the guild building, as well as other people. The countyhead's face, which had betrayed a smile in the presence of a man and a woman, was now as hard as ice.

Feeling the suffocating cold, the branch manager could barely open his mouth.

"Hm... The head of the district? S-Thank you for what you did earlier...

"Thank you?"

"Well... You played on their coercion to protect me.

"Of course, because you're one of my subordinates.

"Sir!" I will not forget what happened that day, and I will work for the rest of my life...

"Well, if they want to get rid of you, I'll get rid of you myself."

The branch manager who had spoken with a deeply agitated face now looked stunned.

—... Forgive me? What do you mean?

"How naïve you are. Did you think you would leave unscathed after what you did?

"But I really...

"That's enough. I'll take care of everything from now on, so if you at least want to save your skin, you'd better breathe easy until the public calms down. Whether you lose your job or this bastard dies a sudden death, it shouldn't be related to this incident," Before he could say anything in response, the county chief turned around and looked at his daughter. "I'll listen to your arguments why you're here today."

— ... Yes, father.

"Then let's leave."

The office was empty in an instant. Left alone, the branch manager thought that all this must be a dream.

***

"Hahaha...

A black spire soared high into the sky. I was on the 31st floor of this building.

"So?" Your first impression of the magic tower.

"It's a little stuffy because of the lack of windows.

"Hmm... Well, sort of. But without this condition, we would not have been able to build such a high-rise building in the city.

At the moment, I was in the office of Arua Raven, a mage associated with the school of Althemion.

"Here, sit down."

After removing the pile of documents on my chair, I sat down, and she brought me a drink in an Erlenmeyer flask.

"Oh, I don't have cups here.

I watched the drink she gave me for a while and came to a conclusion.

— ... This is water.

"Yes, and what about it?" Did you want some basilisk extract instead?

"No, that's enough.

Of course, I did not drink it. I knew there was water in it, but I was still embarrassed to drink it. Not so long ago, multi-colored liquids and samples of monster organs were stored in this flask.

I got straight to the point.

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"I have something important to discuss with you. You promised to do me a favor, didn't you?

Of course. Then I hastily agreed, but now, sitting here, I began to regret it.

She wouldn't ask for a medical experiment, would she?

— As I said, so far it is within reason.

"Good. That's enough for me.

"So, what do you want?"

"I want you to grant me exclusive rights to research the essence you consumed. It will definitely be useful for you as well. It's unprecedented, we can even discover something special.

The more she spoke, the more her eyes changed, from calculating when she negotiated with the district chief to the zealous one I had seen in the Chasm. True, I could understand this look. Aside from the Rift variant we experienced this time, there has never been a Rift in which a Vampire acts as a Guardian.

But what do you mean by exclusive research rights?

"Oh, this?" In simple terms, this means that you will only provide samples to me. I want to submit a dissertation to the Academy on my own behalf.

Were the magicians in this universe some kind of graduate students? I could not understand this motive, but... I've also heard that scientists are very eager for honors. Oh, wait.

"Did you ask to get rid of all the records related to the Vampire earlier for this reason?"

When we signed the agreement at the Guild, she was the only one who asked me not to mention my consumption of the Vampire Essence. Of course, I didn't expect that this alone would guarantee complete secrecy, but it was better than doing nothing, so I agreed.

As they say, you need to hide 70% of your abilities.

To be honest, I've already begun to be grateful that she cares about even the little things like this.

She scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"Uh, mmm, well... I can't say that this is not so...

The negation of the negation. In the end, I was right.

Raven soon changed the subject entirely.

"Ahem!" In any case, I won't ask for much. Come to me once a week for about 3 hours.

3 hours a week, right?

"And for how long?"

"Mm, six months should be enough.

– 3 months!

"Good. So will you fulfill my request?"

— Yes.

After the first item on the agenda was resolved, Raven immediately moved on to the next topic.

"Now... Do we have to finish the calculations?

Calculations? Was there anything else that needed to be sorted out? When I looked at her with my eyes, asking what kind of nonsense I was hearing, she approached me from the other side, just like she had negotiated with the county head.

"You got out thanks to me. Not to mention, you've also earned a total of 6 million stones. I don't think it's strange to demand your share.

Haha, of course. Now I understood these mages better. If I was just a efficiency freak, these people were real profit freaks. So, I decided to change my mindset, as if I had crushed the head of a Goblin.

"Shall I give you money?" What an interesting conversation.

***

The quarrel continued with a slightly higher voice than before.

"Any other mage would have done the same.

"I'm not sure about that. If it had been someone else, he would have sold the crystal ball as soon as the county chief made an offer.

"But the price for it has already been paid. A million stones, "Rather, since she has earned so much thanks to me, in Behella's name, it is I who must claim my share.

— ... Then at least give me the million you got for the backpack at the end. It was solely thanks to my advice.

Did I say I wanted to be friends with her? I take back my words. Do you think barbarians look like fools?

"I refuse.

"Good. Since you have agreed to cooperate in research, I will not demand everything. Give me half. 500,000 stones.

"I refuse.

"Ha, then 250,000 stones...

"I have nothing else to listen to. Refuse.

I would not compromise in the slightest. That was because anyone who tried to steal from me was a fucking bitch, and I didn't compromise with bitches. On the contrary, I was the only one who could steal.

"End of the conversation.

"What?" Do you have any idea how much money I lost in the Chasm because of you?

Soon I made a decision. I must break her spirit before she looks down on me even more.

To be honest, it wasn't that I wasn't grateful. But beyond that, in order to have a long-term and friendly relationship, I needed to show her what kind of person I was. A bastard who just laughs at any treatment of him is not a kind person, but a complete fool.

The reason she's so persistent is probably not because she really needs the money, but because she wants to break my spirit.

"Let's move on to other calculations," I said aloud.

"What other calculations?" Raven tilted her head as if she couldn't think of anything else.

I spoke bluntly, like a barbarian.

"You owe me five million stones.

"S-five million stones?" And why should I?

"Because you fed me the essence of the Corpse Golem without my consent.

"Wh-what?" She exclaimed, as if it were absurd. "Ha!" I gave you an essence that anyone would kill for, but in return I have to pay you money? Do you think this makes sense?

It is. It wasn't just a far-fetched request. I didn't know why everyone here lacked intelligence, but if you looked at it piece by piece, it was a reasonable argument.

"Why do you think it's pointless?" You forcibly fed me this essence without my consent in order to survive.

"W-You don't think I was trying to save you?"

"I don't know about it, and I don't want to know. So, give me 5 million stones. I've heard that this is how much it costs to remove the essence in the temple...

"Why would you remove it, mad barbarian!?"

"Because it wasn't the essence I wanted. You've done me serious damage.

Unlike the old times when she negotiated the price, her face turned red. My arguments sounded far-fetched, but at the same time there was some sense in them, so she was furious.

After breathing heavily for a while, she finally fell silent.

—... I've heard that some researchers can't even afford to buy the essence with money. That's why it doesn't make sense. It's me who should get the money!

"It's just your preconceived opinion as a mage. If you want, you can ask another researcher how they would feel if someone forcibly fed them an essence they don't want.

"Ha!" Do you think I don't know any other researchers? Wait here. I'll ask them right now," Raven frantically picked up the crystal ball on her desk. She then manipulated him as if she were dialing a phone number, and soon established a connection.

"Oh, is that Mr. Pacran?"

Note. transl.: Pacran, a swordsman from the "blonde" group who didn't want to waste the potion on the half-dead Bjorn, in Chapter 5.

"And who is this?"

— Hello. This is Arua Raven of Altemion School. We met last time together with my Master.

"Oh!" Miss Raven! I remember. But how can I help you suddenly?

"I have a question for you. How would you feel if someone fed you an unplanned essence without consent?

"Hahaha!" I don't know why you're asking such a strange question, but to give you an answer... I would be very angry.

— ... Pardon? Why would you be angry? What if it was a rank 7 essence? And a rare one that can only be obtained from the Chasm?

"Even so, my answer will be the same. An unplanned essence means that for me it will only have a negative effect. You probably don't know, Miss Raven, but researchers can't advance to the upper floors just by consuming any essence.

Her triumphant expression did not last long. Hearing the researcher's friendly response, she began to look at me with a pale face.

"Oh, of course. But, if something like this happens... How should someone get compensation?

"If it were me, I would demand monetary compensation.

"About how much...?"

"Oh, 15 million stones would be appropriate.

"So many?!"

– The cost of erasing the essence increases the more you wash. I wonder where these god-worshippers use the money at all, but... *click*?

Losing the sensitivity of her hands, she dropped the crystal ball, and it rolled on the floor.

I picked it up and put it back in her hand.

"You still have one more question.

When I whispered in her ear, a blonde girl who looked like a teenager asked in a trembling voice:

— ... E-If you couldn't get compensated with money, what would you do?

"Hmm, I'm not sure. If something like that happened to me and the culprit was right in front of me..." The man on the other side of the transmission replied enthusiastically, "I'd probably screw his head off. Hahaha!